Window guard



y 109. SAEES, BANK PDDTECTIDN AND RELATED DEVICES.

S. KAUFMAN.l

WINDOW GUARD.' FILED mma '26. 192D.I

iin/Zyl '|U9. Att, BANK FHUIEUIIUN AND RELATED DEVICES.

r'atented Jan. 3U, 1923.

UNITED STATES SAUL KAUFMM', OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WINDOW GUARD.

Application filed .Tune 26, 1920. Serial No. 391,990.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, SAUL KAUFMAN, a citizen of Russia, and a resident of the city of New York, bo-rough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Window Guard, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to window guards, and has for an ob-ject to provide an improved construction which will automatically act to cover any goods adjacent the window to prevent theft thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a window guard in which a covering member is provided associated with means for shifting the covering member quickly when released.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement for show windows wherein means are provided for covering automatically and quickly the goods in a window in case the window is broken by an article being forced through the window.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a show window with a guard embodying the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through Figure 1 approximately on line 2-2, the same being shown on an enlarged scale.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 indicates a platform for the display of articles adjacent the window 2, which is provided with a large pane 3 of glass whereby the articles on the platform 1 may be readily observed by persons on the street. In jewelry shops and other places extremely valuable articles are found displayed in the show windows and occasionally a thief has broken the window in daylight in order to secure as many of the articles as possible in a very short time. Usually the thief will break the window and gather one or two handfuls of the articles and then run away before an alarm can be sounded or any one can be secured to make an arrest. In order to prevent a theft of this kind the arrangement shown in the drawing has been provided wherein a covering member 4 of leather, canvas or other strong material is provlded, and mechanism is also provided associated therewith for quickly moving the covering 4 over the articles on the platform 1 as soon as the window-pane 3 has been broken. This' will prevent a thief from readily securing the articles through the broken window, though, of course, if amp-le time was given the thief could cut or remove the covering 4. Usually if there is a delay of one or two minutes the thief will be caught, and consequently the delay caused by having the cover 4 automatically move over the articles will prevent theft in the manner abo-ve indicated.

In order to cause this quick moving of the cover 4 over the articles said cover is wound on a roller 5 which is supported in suitable journal brackets' 6, and if desired provided with a re-winding spring. The outer or free end of the cover 4 is connected to the cross-bar 7 of the frame 8 which frame is j ournaled in suitable brackets 9 adjacent the rear of the platform 1. Springs 10 are provided which continually act on the frame 8 to give the same a tendency to move pivotally in its supporting brackets 9. Whenever the frame is permitted it will quickly move upwardly in its pivotal brackets 9 until the bar 7 snaps into the hook 11, which hook is pressed by a spring 12 and is pivotally mounted on a suitable rigid frame 13 at the rear of the platform 1. In order that the cover 4 may remain rolled on the roller 5 and the goods properly displayed on plat- HiB-lumi form 1, a catch 14 is provided having a locking bar 15 normally overlapping the bar 7, as shown in Figure 2, and held in that position by a pivotally mounted catch member 16 against the action of spring 17. When the catch member 16 is released spring 17 will immediately force bar 15 longitudinally away from the bar 7 whereby it is released and the springs 1D will be permitted to quickly raise the frame 8 and spread the cover 4 over and in front of the articles on platform 1. In order that the catch member 16 may be actuated whenever the windowpane 3 is broken a compaartively stiff frame 18 is provided and arranged so that the lower bar thereof will be adjacent the upper part of the catch 14 so that when the frame is swung inwardly the catch member will be operated and bar 15 released. A comparatively coarse mesh 19 is connected with frame 18, said mesh being either textile material or wire as preferred. Frame 18 is suspended by suitable cords 2O from the upper part of the window 2, whereby whenever an article, as for instance a brick, is thrown through the windowpane 3 it will strike some of the wires of mesh 19 and will swing the frame 18 inwardly a short distance and against catch 16 whereupon the catch member 16 will be released and bar 15 moved away from bar 7.

ln addition to causing the covering member l to qiuckly move over the articles and thereby protect the same against quick removal, a bell 21 is provided ifor seunding an alarm. A numberl or different circuits could be provided for this bell, but as shown in Figure Q a. double arrangement of circuit is found to be a desirable arrangement to quickly cause the bell to sound. The hook 11 is provided with an insulating member Q2 which carries a metal contact member 23 into which the bar 7 lits when the bar has been released. A suitable source ot' current is connected with the trame 8 in any suit-able manner, and also with one terminal or" bell 21. rlhe opposite terminal of bell 21 is connected to the contact member 23 so that when the bar 1" is in engagement with said contact member the circuit ot bell 21 will be closed and the bell will of course be operated. ln addition to this circuit a spring 25 is arranged in the path of movement of the bar 15 so that as soon as said bar is released by the catch member 16 contact will be made between the catch 14, bar 15 and spring 25. Spring 25 is connected by a suitable wire with one side of the bell 21 while the catch 14 is connected by a suitable wire to one side of the source of current Oil. @ther circuits may be used, but these have been shown as illustrating` the idea ot providing a quick alarm as soon as the catch has been released as well as a quick and automatic covering of the articles in the window.

lhat I claim is:

1. In a show window structure provided with a pane of glass and a iioor adapted for Maase@ the display of goods, a window guard comprising a covering member adapted to be spread over said floor, a roller connected with said covering member and on which the covering member is normally wound, a sprng actuated trame connected to one end of said covering member designed to be swung upwardly and cause the covering member to be unwound and moved over said floor, said frame being hinged at the rear oi said Hoor, a hook arranged adjacent the rear of said window structure for engaging said trame and locking the same in a raised position, a catch arranged at the front of said iioor near the pane of glass in said window adapted to normally hold said frame against movement whereby the covering member will be maintained on said roller and means suspended near one tace of said pane designed to release said catch when pressed toward the rear of said structure.

Q. In a show window structure provided with a pane ot' glass and a iloor adapted for the display oi' e'oods, a window guard comprising a covering member, a roller on which said coveringmember is normally wound, a stiff frame having the front thereot1 con nected with one edge of said covering member, means 'for pivotally connecting the rear edge of said trame to said floor near the rear thereof, spring means acting on said trame for giving the same a tendency to swing to the rear of the window structure, a catch at the front of the floor for holding the frame normally against movement, means spread adjacent to the front of said floor and in the rear of the glass in said window for releas ing said catch when moved toward the rear ot the window structure, and a hook arranged near the rear of the window structure for interlocking with said frame when the fra-me is moved into engagement therewith, for locking the trame against movement.

SAUL KAUFMAN. 

